Peter Sailly (April 20, 1754 – March 16, 1826) was a politician and public official from Plattsburgh, New York. He served one term as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Biography

Sailly was born and educated in

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, where he was involved in the iron manufacturing business. He immigrated to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1783, purchased land from

Zephaniah Platt Zephaniah Platt (May 27, 1735 – September 12, 1807) was an American politician and lawyer, and founder of the U.S. town of Plattsburgh, New York. Early life Platt was born in Huntington, Province of New York, to Zephaniah Platt (1705-1778). ...

, and settled in what is now Plattsburgh, New York. He was active in the lumber business, owned several stores, and was a successful fur trader and

potash Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form.

manufacturer. As a result of their shared interest in the fur business, Sailly formed a longstanding friendship with

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor who made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by History of opium in China, smuggl ...

. From 1788 to 1796 Sailly was an associate justice of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

. He was Plattsburgh's commissioner of highways and school commissioner in 1797 and 1798, and

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

in 1799 and 1800. Sailly was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1803, and judge of the

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

court from 1804 to 1806. In 1804 Sailly was elected to the Ninth Congress as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, and he served from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1807. Sailly was not a candidate for renomination in 1806. He was appointed U.S. Collector of Customs in Plattsburgh, and served from 1807 until his death. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

Sailly was appointed keeper of the public stores, a position that gave him responsibility for all government warehouses in upstate New York. in addition, he provided U.S. commanders, including James Wilkinson, intelligence about the

Champlain Valley The Champlain Valley is a region of the United States around Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York extending north slightly into Quebec, Canada. It is part of the St. Lawrence River drainage basin, drained northward by the Richelieu River into ...

and British troop activities in New York and southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Death and burial

He died in Plattsburgh on March 16, 1826. Sailly was buried at Plattsburgh's Riverside Cemetery.

Family

Sailly was married twice. His first wife, Maria Louise Eleonore Caillat, died in 1786. In 1789 he married Marianne Adelaide Grielle, who died in 1830.

Legacy

Sailly was the subject of a biographical work, 1919's ''Peter Sailly, Plattsburgh and Champlain Valley Pioneer (1754–1826): Extracts from his Diary and Letters'', by George S. Bixby. Sailly Avenue in Plattsburgh is named for him.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sailly, Peter 1754 births 1826 deaths French emigrants to the United States People from Lorraine Politicians from Plattsburgh, New York New York (state) state court judges Members of the New York State Assembly Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)